WITCH
by Transformers 0
Summary: I'm just a humble new fan to WITCH. And I'm also an ambitious fan. After watching just one season and a bit of season two, having just read one novel adaptation, and having read only plot descriptions of the comics, I'm going to write my own fic that combines elements of the comic and the cartoon. My first WITCH fic - hope you enjoy! WITCH belongs to Disney - not me.
1. Needing Reinforcements

**Hello everyone! I am Transformers 0, And welcome to my first ever WITCH story!**

 **It will be an adaptation of the first arc of the comics – or in other words the first season of the TV show.**

 **It will contain elements of both the comic and the cartoon.**

 **I became a WITCH fan just this year! And I'm a 16-year-old boy!**

 **There may be some discrepancies, but that's because we don't have much WITCH comics over here in New Zealand. I can find episodes on YouTube, but I'll just have to go off plot descriptions of the comics – unless anyone knows a site where I can read the comics online.**

 **WITCH (both the comic and the show) belongs to Disney – not me.**

* * *

 **WITCH**

 **Needing Reinforcements**

 _There is another universe. Where a rebellion is taking place. The forces of Good against an Evil ruler. A mortal clash between the Light and the Darkness itself._

 _The light is generous.  
_ _It gifts all sentient life with an objective to strive for. It's a candle even in the most sinister shadows of the darkest night.  
_ _Our fears and insecurities vanish among the rays of salvation. And those rays shine not only upon us, but upon others as well._

 _The light bestows among us the gift of resolution.  
_ _Seeing the brightness of pure benevolence releases you from the malicious confines of your own faults. It allows you to see the same, resolute spark within the hearts of others, binding all life in harmonious unity._

 _The third, most important gift of the light is the vision of righteousness.  
_ _You can see the dark, and the dark sees you.  
_ _You stare darkness in the face, and it stares right back at you.  
_ _The dark penetrates your heart, grasping your soul.  
_ _But it doesn't control you – not while you have the light on your side._

 _As the darkness recedes, it is the light that truly shines triumphant._

* * *

"Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!"

The thuds of metallic boots on grass approaching from the horizon grew ever so louder. The thuds of the leather boots of his own men rushing out the front entrance of the village square itself pumped adrenaline through Caleb's blood.

"What is this?!" his friend replied.

"So Phobos does have a stomach to try out his army's valour," Caleb muttered to himself, "A first-time invasion. They're throwing everything they can at the village."

"So Commander, what's our plan?" the friend queried, lost in a haze of thoughts and the shears of the battle. "You flatter me too much, Captain Aldarn," Caleb remarked, wittiness etched in his throat.

"No not really. At 15, you're a commander already. Me? I'm 16 and still two ranks away from being your equal on the battlefield."

"Just as I am one rank away from becoming like my father," Caleb glanced slightly skywards as he finished his sentence. "The General would've been proud of you," Aldarn said, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder.

The 15-year-old gave a tiny flicker of acknowledgement with a thoughtful smile, before returning their attentions to where they should be. "I'll get two squads to flank them from the sides, while you and your company try to push back Phobos' forces to the village perimeter."

"Acknowledged," said Aldarn, before turning to two of his sergeants, "Quinn and Yaddol, assemble your men and follow Caleb."

The two sergeants headed off. A captain rode by on horseback, yelling orders to "Head to the front!"

Aldarn turned, and saw Caleb had already left to spring his trap. "Battle positions, everyone!" he yelled to the men behind.

They raced to the hastily-made makeshift barricades. Two platoons of archers, led by Major Drake, were positioned on the buildings. They had just finished another round of arrows and were reloading their bows and crossbows. The rest of the archers who were not stationed on buildings were in the streets below, aiming arrows and firing with random, desperate timing. Three were cut down by return fire in short order just as Aldarn arrived. Lancers on horses soared overhead, jumping the barricade and charging the enemy lines. That was a suicidal move. A shout came from the roofs.

"RETURN FIRE!"

Arrows whooshed from the buildings to meet their targets, who were slowly but most certainly starting to get past the village entrance. The enemy army didn't stop their advance, despite the cost of losing more numbers, and as the first wave was defeated, the shield-bearers shifted to the front of the ranks to cover the second. A catapult launched, its flaming projectile barely missing the barricade, overshooting it – though it still caught some unlucky rebels in its landing.

"How does Caleb plan on winning this again?!" Drake shouted to Aldarn from the rooftops. "Oh you'll see!" Aldarn replied. More flaming projectiles soared overhead.

* * *

"What's our plan of attack, sir?" inquired Quinn, inspecting the losing battle below. Both squads had stealthily made their way to two adjacent buildings nearest to the invaders.

"Men, have your shields, swords and bows ready after we toss our spears. Feel free to hurl your maces, axes, and any other chained weapons you brought along. We're going to weigh them down, trip 'em up, and then send them to oblivion," Caleb stated, standing straight and true. He then gave the command.

"LET'S MOVE!"

With that, the squads lined the edges of the buildings, hurling spears and other excess weaponry at the intruders. Within seconds some of the enemy soldiers became prone bodies leaking out blood on the ground. The enemy diverted fire from the barricades to the nearby nuisances.

 _"Just as planned,"_ Caleb thought wryly.

From far behind him, a cry of "CHARGE!" was hollered. That diversion was all that was needed for his own men to counterattack with their first two waves. Lines of troops scrambled over the barricade, racing to meet the enemy up close. Steel weapons collided, flesh ripped, blood flowed. The rebels had managed to stop the advance, but it was entirely another matter of pushing the enemy back. The third wave scrambled over, scattering and floundering as the enemy re-concentrated their volley of arrows.

Retorts, curses, screams and cries resounded on the village streets.

"Come on, you bastards!"

"Pathetic scumbags!"

"Runts!"

"Weaklings!"

"Cowards!"

Aldarn, having lead the third charge with sword pointed at the heart of Phobos' army, unsheathed his second blade, streaking and slicing through enemy bodies. Flashes of silver glinted all over the place. The deafening sounds of metal on metal banged in the ears of all. Dust and blood kicked up a malicious haze, so unnatural and malevolent.

The two squads up front pulled back, making the leaps and crossing the tops of the buildings behind. Some held back a bit longer with Caleb to rain a few more arrows upon the aggressors. The rebels' archers started to advance quickly forward.

"Come on lads!"

"Hit 'em, boys!"

"Aim at the right!"

Just as Aldarn gutted two of Phobos' men, he looked up in time to see Caleb jump off a roof and slide down a lantern line to join the street melee. The rebel flanks scattered forward into thin rows, archers launching arrows and warriors charging. "We're going to need reinforcements!" Caleb reported, using his foot to flick a forsaken shield into his hands. "The other regiments still need time to traverse! This is the only village nearest to the Infinite City!" Aldarn yelled back over the roar of battle.

The intruders were sill advancing, getting much more quicker this time. "Tell the men to fall back just before the square! It's time!" Caleb noted grimly, turning to run and raising the shield.

"Right! Crock Company, cover our retreat! Rest of you men – FALL BACK!"

A flurry of legs, arms and streaks of metal. A spattering of blood and rising contrails of dust. Darkness shrinking, lightness increasing.

"Unleash the Ox Cannons!"

"Yes, Commander!"

Heavy cannons rolled forwards, lining up the front of the square and on the rooftops of surrounding buildings.

* * *

The imperial catapults were blown to smithereens. The enemy soldiers glanced around, horrified and dumbfounded. The rebel scum had new heavy weaponry? Worse than that, it was long-range, up-to-date, and lethally effective. About 20 seconds passed before a break to reload and already, several waves had been shredded by the cannonfire. The imperial cannons were old-fashioned and primitive compared to the beasts that rained balls of white-hot, definite death upon them.

"Commander Raythor! Our forces are being overrun!"

The commander scowled darkly, his chainmail cape ominously rattling. Even if they brought out their strongest weaponry and soldiers from the back, that still wouldn't give them half a shot at breaking the enemy lines. He gnashed his teeth, pointed and hideous as fangs. The Prince was going to be bitterly disappointed. His best regiment defeated by new rebel toys? Unlikely, yet still unfavourably true.

And their own reinforcements from the south continent would take months to arrive. The Rebels might've won the war by then. Curses. No way could that happen – not when the imperials ultimately had Phobos as their ultimate leader. Phobos _is_ the ultimate harbinger of doom. The architect of devastation, the author of atrocity, the carpenter of malevolence. Even Phobos' parents stood no chance against their son. So yes, Raythor could pull his men back and take the heat. Because Phobos would have another way to seal their victory.

That was all the confirmation that Raythor needed.

"Turn the troops around!"

* * *

Caleb and Aldarn cut down the last of the imperials still in the village, turning to see the surviving opponents on the run.

"Why are they hauling their arses outta here?" Aldarn remarked, questioning the certainty and significance of their victory.

"I don't think they were eager to meet our new machines," smiled Caleb ruefully, "How heavy were our losses?"

"About a quarter of the regiment is dead, and two other quarters wounded," answered Yaddol.

"Credit given, sergeant. Dismissed," Aldarn spoke, watching the salvaging and rebuilding of the village begin.

"How I wish that those reinforcements would arrive. The earlier they come, the earlier we can strike the capital – and eliminate the Prince once and for all. Hell, even if they don't arrive early, at least we can utilize strength in numbers to ensure this village's status as the main stronghold," grumbled Caleb, folding his arms and looking at the retreating army, now a long distance away and starting to climb the eastern mountain pass that was one of the valley's exits.

"Well, we can at least thank the Maker that today we've prevailed. And we should also thank you and your brilliant strategy, mate."

"Sincere gratitude received and reciprocated, Aldarn. Now it's time to focus on the best offence we have at the moment: Defense. I need you to set up a defense perimeter along the mountainous outlines of the valley. By the way, I'll be going out on my own for a few days – and I personally ask you to cover for me."

"But Caleb, I'm… I'm… I'm just a captain."

"With the capabilities of a general."

"B-b-but why?"

"There are rumours. Sometimes they hint at us, sometimes they choke us, and sometimes they give us insight – lifting our crushed spirits off the hard, bitter ground," Caleb replied, tugging Aldarn away and into a secluded alley. Caleb paused, and Aldarn mentally swore that he had never seen Caleb looked so upbeat since the death of General Julian a year ago. Caleb breathed, looking and feeling so free after eons of agony. Then he spoke.

"There are rumours that the new Guardians of the Veil have been found. It may seem like I'm just going on a wild bhino chase, but this rumour and the hope that may come of it are too valuable to pass up. I'm going to find a portal to Earth."

"That… that is… wonderful news…" Aldarn almost laughed heartily, his stomach feeling like it was fluttering in the breeze. New Guardians means new hope. New hope means new convictions. And convictions… bring about victory.

Caleb grasped Aldarn's shoulders.

"Tell everyone to stand strong. The reign of darkness is at its end. A new, virtuous era is about to begin. And… good luck, old friend."

With nothing else left to say, Caleb turned to depart. A quick voice calling to him made him glance behind.

"And good luck to you, old bud," Aldarn replied, leaning slightly on the remains of the brick wall for support.

With truly nothing left, Caleb broke off into a steady jog, leaving Aldarn to his own musings.

* * *

 _Support._

 _That word has become one of Life's Truest Treasures among the common people._

 _Over the 13 years of war that has plagued Metamoor, simple words have become so invaluable._

 _Support._

 _We Rebels have helped and leaned on each other when times grew difficult and arduous, under the sinister reign of Phobos. For 13 long years, courage has been our food, honour our drink, and family-hood our source of innate righteousness._

 _Now the war is almost over, and though we may have less uses for the words of virtue, I hope that those words never lose their significance of what they did for us in our darkest times._

 _Aldarn Serenos  
_ – _Captain in the Rebel Army  
_ – _Son of weapon maker Aketon Serenos_

* * *

 **Whoo! First chapter done!**

 **Hopefully in a few weeks you'll be seeing another chapter from me!**

 **Please tell me what you thought in a review!**

 **And if you wish to, you can also follow and/or favorite me and this story!**

 **Have a good day, my friends! And God bless you all!**

 **Transformers 0 out!**


	2. Seeds of the Sinister

**Hello everyone! I'M BAAAAAAAAAACCCCCKKKKKKK!**

 **Yeah, I took that from** _ **Independence Day**_ **!**

 **Now on with the show!**

* * *

 **Seeds of the Sinister**

"So you mean to tell me that you lost a crucial, decisive battle that would have put a _swift_ end to those _infidels_?!" a voice thin as foil yet taut as steel cut through the murky darkness. The half-man standing at the foot of the steps resisted the urge to budge as his stomach twisted one way then the other. "Your Grace, please try to understand. We may have magic on our side, but the rebels hold the high ground on superior resources and weaponry," Cedric spoke, voice soft as a hesitant hiss as if he were a nervous predator.

"And yet after all these years, my little sister has still not been located! How are we to demonstrate our ruling capacity if the Rebels' superficial trinkets are one-upping our forces? We need only to obtain her powers, crush her soul into dust and then _nothing_ will be able to stand in our way," the sinister ruler noted, "What length of time must we wait? She'll have come of age by now. It will only be a short matter of _when_ before she learns of her heritage and will return home, only to obliterate us. So go on, Commander Cedric, prove to me the worth of your most recent campaign – and its loss."

Cedric was a Viprotis, a one-of-a-kind Metamoorian that was granted powers by his lordship prince to be able to turn into a 6-meter-long equivalent of a viper, or the Metamoorian mega-version of one. He grunted and hissed as flesh turned to skin and limbs and tail sprouted. He felt much more… _fulfilling_ as this unnatural beast, brought around by his master's dark abilities. He felt much more capable too. In viprotis form he bowed before his all-powerful sovereign.

"Our experts in espionage and reconnaissance have reported… _whispers_. Whispers that may sow the seeds of our undoing," the commander grimly hissed. The prince clasped his palms together slowly, contemplating the severity of such… inconvenience. Cedric continued, "News has slipped out from the ranks of the traitors. Words regarding the topic of the New Guardians."

Phobos gripped his throne's armrests with particular consternation. "Hmm… I have sensed such disturbances. My power has grown to the point that the slightest ripple across the multiverse sends alarming whiplashes. And of course, the Chamber of Periphery tells me all I need to know. All I need to know at this point. It still requires a power greater than mine to unlock its full capabilities. But for now, all I need to know has already been displayed to me, and you are just emptying your throat of useful, precious breath."

"I apologize, my prince. Forgive me for my… over-prudence."

That was all the reply the viprotis commander could muster. His scales subtly rattled, and his nerves squirmed and vibrated. He resisted the pounding urge to move simply out of sheer respect, loyalty and discipline.

"Yes… you would do well to divert your full attention and efforts elsewhere," came the dry remark. Phobos stood, and walked down the stairs, footsteps resounding all the way to the walls.

"Change back to normal and have a walk with me."

Cedric did so.

* * *

The royal castle was located in the capital city of Metamoor, Meridian City was the name. Over the past 13 years, Phobos had ordered a significant portion of his loyalists to attend to fortifying not just the capital, but the castle itself. It was now a huge, rectangular-like block, making up most of the city centre. The castle, including its courtyards and outer segments, spanned exactly 4 square kilometers. Weaponry and barracks were spaced uniformly along the seemingly monochrome inter-environment of the royal's home.

Inside the one of the deeper pits of the fortress-castle, thuds echoed multiple times as soldiers marched and two authority figures made their way to a certain room. They stopped right outside the double door, guarded by a squad of elite troopers. "Leave us," the prince ordered, and his command was followed, leaving him and Cedric to enter the dimly glowing chamber. "You see, my dear Cedric, the end wall shows me what my powers allow me to envision. It would be of great use of this panoramic wall to be able to be able to grant me the insight of how to crush the Rebels and their spirits permanently, and of even greater use to let me know how many other worlds are out there besides our world, Earth and Kandrakar. Being able to transform enemies into allies would grant us the certainty of defeating the Oracle. Unfortunately, that is simply not possible without my sister by my side. And the task of locating her is going to grow ever so harder if the Guardians come to rise and my own loyal, capable followers KEEP ON LOSING TO DRAMP-HEADED, DEFIANT FEEBLE FOOLS!"

It almost seemed as if the noise and vibrations of sheer thunder were going to dismantle the chamber. Phobos now dropped back to a courteous style, "So I hope you can now grasp that time is running short. For you, for us, and for the rest of our valourous people, should you fail to accomplish these next set of crucial assignments."

"You won't be seeing another failure from me anytime soon, my prince," pledged Cedric, "But what of Raythor?"

"Yes. He needed to be dealt with and I have done so accordingly and appropriately. He may not have been able to create enough _authorized ruckus_ for you to assassinate the Rebel leaders, but because the campaign wasn't a total loss, I have granted him one more chance to keep his record satisfactory. If he fails to uphold to that, then I will sentence him to life imprisonment to the dungeons. But now let us turn our attentions to your next mission."

The viprotis and the sovereign turned to the viewing wall at the end, and the sovereign summoned a burst of concentrated magic and struck the wall's centre, triggering its internal magical functions. White light spread outwards across the surface, before turning the wall transparent, with a glowing blue sky in the background, with one or two grey clouds in the far distance gathering ever closer.

"The Guardians… they always have and always will come from Earth. For some unfathomable reason, that planet has always been second fiddle to the powers of Kandrakar, yet only a miniscule amount of their infuriatingly dim population have come to understand that so. That miniscule amount also includes those puny Guardians, who will soon be a match for all of us the moment they set foot in Metamoor. The leader holds inside of her – yes it's a girl. Guardians have always started out as young girls. Young girls must be pure or something stupid like that **[1]** – the leader holds inside of her the Heart of Kandrakar, possibly the most powerful object in existence. If small ripples are caused by miniature shifts in the balance of the Multiverse, then imagine the shockwave that an object such as the Heart generates when it senses its next generation of young warriors."

"I can imagine so," Cedric replied, letting honesty and slight awe be absorbed into his supernatural body.

"The 5 new Guardians. On Earth they are now nearing each other, drawn closer by some twisted strings of fate. Your task is to find them: the Guardians of Fire, Earth, Water and Air. But you may have already noticed I missed one out. That is because she is of higher priority than the others. Take away the Keeper of the Heart, and the others will crumble from mighty mountains to nothing more than dust."

"Indeed. Your strategies are always to be highly commended, my lord."

Phobos didn't answer. Cedric's hybrid skin of flesh and scales felt a tremor as another surge of power hit the wall. Transparent ripples momentarily shook the wall's surface like waves of water, and the surface glowed white 'till the ripples subsided and an image faded into view.

"Your first mission… is to find _her_."

The image now was that of a young girl, aged 12. She had red hair, brown eyes, and freckled cheeks.

Cedric's voice came out raw and cold, with feral and crazed anticipation and joy.

"It will be done, my lord."

* * *

 **[1]** **I mean no offense to any young girls. I just don't know if there's a canon explanation for why the Guardians are always female. So I came up with my own one – and it was meant to be complimentary!**

 **Anyhow, I need a** _ **Volunteer**_ **!  
** **A volunteer who has knowledge of where the heck Heatherfield is!  
** **I also need the volunteer to know what kind of school system that the Sheffield Institute is based off of!  
** **I need them to know the storylines of both the first arc of the comics and the first season of the TV show!**

 **Because I need them as a Story Consultant.  
** **I need someone who can give me the background info I need to literally help me go beyond 5 chapters.  
** **I've just realized how little I know… (embarrassed cough)…**

 **Don't worry!  
** **You won't have everything spoiled!  
** **But the role that one of you would play as my Story Consultant is pivotal to how I decide the plot should unfold.  
** **With your help, I could draw the storyline close to the comics, or imitate the TV show, or pull off a delicate balance of both!**

 **So I need a Volunteer as a Story Consultant!**

 **If you are able to give your time, and help me get this story completely off the ground, you would be bloody amazing and a real blessing!**

 **I can pull off one more chapter before I really need the help!**

 **See you all next update!**

 **And don't forget to favorite, follow and review!**


	3. Our Girls

**I hope you have all had a safe and meaningful Easter, my friends.**

 **I give Special Thanks to Cyrus559, TCFactory and DayDreamer9, the three of whom volunteered to be my story consultants!**

 **And without their help, this story would have just been shoved into stasis until further notice.**

* * *

 **Our Girls**

It was a dark and stormy night.

The thickness of the haze and the wrappings of clouds choked her, suffocated her.

No moonlight shone through.

Thunder rocked the Earth and the ground trembled beneath her.

Flashes of lightning were barely visible, but though none of it touched her, she felt every searing strike, like a whip of searing plasma, a snake with the poison of lava on its tongue.

She was also naked and the raindrops came like icicles. Every drop a stab, every stab a sting, and with every sting more agonizing cold.

She tried to cry out, to scream, to even whimper, but it seemed the insides of her body were hollow. Nothing but blackness and emptiness.

Nothing except her weak-willed consciousness.

But she started to hear whispers, though she couldn't move from her fetal position on the ground. She couldn't move or make any form of distressed noise to attract the attention of the other existing life form, who's silhouette was barely visible in the ebony smokescreen, but who's thoughts seemed to echo louder and louder in her mental prison.

 _Will._

 _Will._

 _Will._

 _Will._

 _"WILL!"_

* * *

Wilhelmina Vandom jolted upright from her bed.

"No!" she gasped, shoulders shuddering. The door to her room opened and her mother paced in.

"Will, did you have a nightmare? Are you going to be alright?"

Her mother's amber eyes softly glowed with maternal concern.

"I think I'll be," mumbled Will as she shifted her legs over the side of her bed. Her bare feet touched the cold wooden floor.

"I can't believe it's this chilly already," she grumbled as she tossed the rest of the blankets off her.

"Yeah, it is kinda inconvenient. But on the bright side your first day of school starts today and you've got new opportunities to make new friends," Susan Vandom said, coming over and bending down to kiss her daughter on the forehead.

"Breakfast is waiting for you downstairs," Susan called behind her as she returned to the kitchen.

"I'd be feeling more cheerful if I didn't have school the day after we just arrived in this place," the 12-year-old mumbled once she was sure her mother was out of earshot.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, elsewhere in town…_

A girl of 12 sat at her lamp-lit desk (rainstorms make mornings so bleak and grey), sketching a picture of a clone trooper sergeant. She was just adding finishing touches to it, proudly polishing it up. She had risen early to have a quick breakfast, she was dressed for action – at school, to be precise – and her bag was packed and at the ready.

 _But_ she really wanted to finish that drawing first before she left.

Her bedroom had multiple posters of sci-fi and comic book movies. On the left-width wall, there were posters of Sam Raimi's _Spiderman 1_ and _2_ , along with the girl's intricate sketches of the teen hero – because let's face it, _Spiderman 1_ and _2_ are the two greatest superhero films ever. Spiderman was definitely the girl's favorite superhero.

The right-width wall had posters, photos and sketches of the original _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ movie, released in 1990 by New Line Cinemas. The exquisite sketches, drawn once again by the girl's talented hand, were immaculate. They captured the essence of the teenage turtles perfectly. Not to mention the gorgeously-drawn environments and the vividly-dark colour palettes. Her favorite turtle? Donatello.

And finally, the girl's main bedroom wall. It was entirely engulfed with _Star Wars_ content. Mainly Prequel Era content. **[1]** There were many drawings, coloured and monotone, and paintings, acrylic and watercolour, that captured the rise and fall of the Prequel heroes. Among the girl's best artworks were the coloured sketches of the _Battle of Muunilinst_ and the _Siege of Coruscant_ , as well as paintings of the _Duel on Mustafar_ and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker himself, in full glory. Her personal favorite out of her concocted artworks was the Anakin painting – 'cause Anakin is her favorite character. **[2]**

Finished! At last!

The girl filed her picture away in her desk drawer for temporary safekeeping. She slung her backpack around her shoulders and raced down the hall to the front door. But then…

"ACHOO!"

Windows flew open, papers flew, utensils scattered and things propped up collapsed with an _almighty_ crash. The door to another room opened.

"Hay Lin dear, what was that?"

"Oh… Grandma…" Hay Lin muttered, abashed, "I sneezed and somehow totally totalled the house."

The girl grabbed a tissue and blew. "No harm done, my dear. Go on, I'll clear it up for you," the elder said, "Oh! And why not invite some friends over for some afternoon tea!"

"Totally rad idea, Grandma!" Hay Lin beamed, swinging the front door closed behind her. She knew just who to choose!

After making sure the interiors were once again spotless, the old lady re-entered her room. She opened the double doors of her cupboard and pulled out a red box with gold pattern trimmings. She opened the lid slightly and watched the pink crystal inside it begin to glow.

"Yes…"

Through her bedroom window, the old lady watched her granddaughter round the corner of the block, now jogging the way to the Sheffield Institute. The crystal glowed brighter.

"Yes it is time."

* * *

7:30 am.

 _Ding! Ding! Ding!_

Cornelia Hale's blue eyes flickered open.

"Urgh… well, at least the week's half done," she mumbled, stretching her long arms and her long legs. She really had had a head start on puberty.

A pitter-patter of feet resounded down the hall and her bedroom door flung open.

"Morning Corny!" her little sister squeaked.

"Morning, Lil," Cornelia smiled back, her mood now much more perky.

"Two more days 'till Daddy comes back from his business trip!" the younger sibling squealed in excitement, green eyes flaring and little hips swinging.

Yes, both girls took after their mother, both in looks and personality, but they were both Daddy's little girls.

"Mom's still cooking. Pillow fight! Pillow fight!" chanted Lillian, grinning wildly in an endearing way. **[3]**

"3. 2. 1. Go!" yapped Cornelia, snatching up her pillow. Lillian was already onto her. "Oi!" the older sister chuckled as fluff met face. She swung wide in a counterattack. Lillian tumbled back onto the bed.

"I'm coming to get you!" Cornelia rumbled playfully, stomping exaggeratedly over to her sister. Lillian shrieked joyfully, darting back just as Cornelia's pillow came crashing down. The older girl used the momentum to twirl herself onto her bed.

But Lillian was fast. In under 2 seconds she had utilized the high ground, leaping onto her big sister and slapping the pillow all around her. "I've got you now, foul beast!"

"I surrender! I surrender!" squealed Cornelia, folding up on her side with laughter.

"Well well. Good morning to you, my young warriors," their mother's voice drawled from the doorway. Elizabeth Hale smiled warmly, taking in the sight of her two children enjoying their pure, simple innocence.

"Morning, Mom!" came both the replies.

"Breakfast will be ready in 5 minutes you two," the Hale matriarch stated, nostalgia of an era gone by briefly passing over her face. She then turned back to the direction of the dining room.

"We'd better get ready, Lil," Cornelia said with a small nod. The little sister hopped off the bed, scampering quickly to the door.

Lillian had just exited the room when she heard her sister call from behind, "And I'll get you next time!"

* * *

7:40 am.

The smell of toasted waffles and grilled fish wafted around the kitchen of the Cooks. The 12-year-old African girl glanced at her watch. _"And right on schedule,"_ she thought, placing the cooked breakfast on the serving platters. She had just set them on the table when she heard several doors opening down the hallway.

"Good morning, my daughter," her mother smiled as she entered the kitchen, "My my, your discipline is always commendable." Theresa Cook sat at the dining table, green eyes shining with motherly pride at her daughter and her cooking. "If only your father and brother were as sharp as you," the Cook matriarch sighed, leaning in to kiss her daughter on the forehead. The child giggled, and her face glowed even more with mirth as the rest of her family roamed into the kitchen.

"Mom, we're not clones," Peter Cook deadpanned, forking a bite from his waffle. But he knew his mother was just ribbing him good-naturedly. His younger sister had now picked up her bag and was making her way to the kitchen exit. "Bye Ma, Da, Peter!"

"See you in the afternoon, Taranee!" her father called after her.

She had just mounted her bike, and with one last smile and wave, she was off!

* * *

8:10 am.

"You're lame!" a ginger-haired boy sneered.

"And you're pathetic," a brunette girl shot back.

"Stupid! The Originals are vastly superior!" the boy retorted sharply.

"Well from _my_ point of view the Prequels are _better_!" the girl screeched, getting _very_ frustrated.

Unfortunately she failed to notice one of the boy's acquaintances creeping behind her and snatching her brand-new drink bottle until it was too late.

"Hey! You give that back!"

The drink bottle was modeled after a lightsaber. Irma Lair was a big fan of sci-fi, particularly _Star Wars_ , and in particular the Prequels.

Her father had given her that special drink bottle a week ago for her 13th birthday. Not only did the drink bottle look like a badass lightsaber, it doubled as a heavy-duty flashlight that could also be wielded in self-defense. **[4]**

Though, Irma was much more interested in marine biology and deep sea diving, and wouldn't pay much attention to her father's occasional self-defense lessons.

Which was something she was slightly regretting right about now.

"Oh look! She's blown a fuse! You gonna cry now, little Irma?" the lead boy guffawed, flashing a disgusting smirk.

Irma resisted the urge to release a skyward scream in frustration. _"Concentrate!"_ she told herself, _"This only works if my mind's set to it!"_

Summoning all her focus, she projected a mental imperative towards the drink bottle thief.

 _"You will give that back and apologize."_

"Oh, sorry. This is yours."

"WHAT are you DOING, man?!" the ginger-haired boy screeched. But Irma had already unleashed another barrage of mental orders.

 _"You and your buddies will back off."_

"Ah, she isn't worth our presence here, Uriah. Let's go pick on someone else."

The trio of boys turned to leave.

 _"Ooh! And the Star Wars Prequels are way better!"_

"And the Prequel Trilogy totally kicks the Original Trilogy's ass!" Uriah spontaneously shouted, before realizing seconds later, "What the–?!"

"I'm confused now, man. I thought you liked the OT more," the big guy spoke up.

"Laurent, SHUT UP! Just a slip of my tongue," the leader snapped back.

"A slip of the tongue, huh?" Irma grinned to herself smugly. She slipped her lightsaber drink bottle back into her bag's side-pocket.

* * *

 **[1] In my opinion the Prequels are** _ **way**_ **better than the Originals! And I declare that loudly and proudly!**

 **[2] Mine too!**

 **[3] I took that scene from the Comics! In particular: Arc 1, Issue #3,** _ **The Dark Dimension**_ **.**

 **[4] Just like how Larry Daley shows us in** _ **Night of the Museum 2**_ **. Another brilliant movie, if I do say so myself.**

 **From what I've seen of the show and comics, Irma and Hay Lin are apparently** _ **Star Trek**_ **fangirls.**

 **Of course, now that Disney owns** _ **Star Wars**_ **I just decided to use that franchise instead. More fun and opportunities for me in my writing!**

 **Hope I've captured the spirit well!**

 **Feel free to leave a review!**


	4. Come and Join Our Friendly Circle

**Come and Join Our Friendly Circle**

Will Vandom cycled into the school's rear entrance. She wasn't one to attract attention, especially since she was one of the newer, younger students. The gears of her bike hummed. She pedalled over to the school's rear bike rack, hosted in a shadowy corner. She had almost reached it when…

"Whoa! Stop! Stop!" another voice screeched. Will immediately clutched the brake handle. When she opened her eyes after a moment, she saw another girl, an African, on a bike perpendicular right in front of her. "Sorry… I…" Will muttered, abashed. An apology was about to leak out from her. "No, no. _I_ wasn't paying attention," the other girl said, dismounting her bike and leading it to the rack. Will hopped off her bike and followed suit.

Playing back the African's voice in her head, Will deducted that the girl must have been a few months older than she was. Though… despite that, the girl was relatively short and scrawny for her age. And she thought her genes sucked!

"Oh, I'm Taranee," the other girl stated in a light stutter, holding out a dainty hand. Will held out hers and gave it a tentative shake. "I'm Will."

* * *

A pair of grey-blue eyes watched the impromptu introduction, hiding in the nuanced chiaroscuros of the bushes. The person with the eyes heard several bouts of wicked laughter approaching the pair.

 _"Uh oh. Here comes trouble."_

"Well, well, well! Isn't this a cute and delightful scene to come across! One new girl helping another!" jeered Uriah as he stepped around the corner.

"Let's _run_ ," Taranee hissed to Will, though when they both turned to bolt away they found two more bullies behind them. Before they knew it, they found themselves shoved violently to the ground. The impact made their backsides ache and they cried out from the pain.

"Too bad you're just the same as the rest of them. All pathetic!" spat Uriah, stomping his foot over Taranee's stomach. She choked out breathlessly.

"You leave her be!" snapped Will, staggering to her feet and throwing a punch at one of the boys. He sidestepped and used her momentum to send her face first to the wall.

Searing white stars filled Will's vision, and before her sight even returned back to normal she felt another boy yanking her shoulder, forcing her to spin around where upon at that point she felt her legs kicked out from under her, sending her sprawling to the ground again. She landed hard beside Taranee, who had retreated into a fetal position after being kicked several more times.

"It's too bad you forget about the most important part of one's first day: Initiation," sneered Uriah, stepping towards the fallen girls.

"Well if that's all the entertainment you can provide, then I'm glad I'm not one of your guests," a voice whistled from the shrubbery. All heads present turned to look for the vocal source, but found no leads.

Suddenly, quicker than Uriah and his gang could react, another girl darted from the bushes. She leapt and kicked Uriah in the chest. He stumbled back and cried out frantically to his minions, "Get her!"

If only they could. The girl's arms whirled about and blocked every ungraceful blow that the boys tried their hardest to dish out. Strikes that the girl didn't block were sidestepped instead. The glint in her eyes gave the silent message that she was finding light amusement in this skirmish. With a swift leg sweep, Kurt and Laurent were floored. Not letting up, the girl rotated and backhanded Uriah into the brick wall.

"Ow! My nose!" he yelped.

"That will be the least of your worries is you choose to stick around here any longer!" the girl warned.

"Screw this mate! I'm out of here!" shrieked Laurent, rushing off the ground and around the corner. His attacker easily sidestepped his blind and panicked charge. Kurt soon followed his companion, and Uriah, seeing that there was no one left with him, metaphorically dropped his sacks and ran off.

"Who was that kid? And those who followed him?" puffed Will, her chest heaving as she scrambled to her feet.

"Uriah Dunn," replied Taranee, eyes glimmering angrily, "A-Grade Nightmare to first-year… actually scratch that. A-Grade Nightmare to all students at Sheffield High School. His disciples are Kurt Buren and Laurent Clubberman.

"And who's our rescuer?" queried Will, analyzing their savior. Said girl was tall, to Will and Taranee at least, with twin braids of black hair that almost reached her waist. She wore a calm and appeased visage, though that was probably just a façade, seeing how easily and energetically she dispatched those bullies a minute earlier. The excited sparkle in her icy eyes also gave a hint that she was most likely younger than her rescuees.

"Don't know. I haven't exactly made much friends in the two weeks that I've been here," said Taranee, eyes flitting downwards for a second.

"Hay Lin's the name. Dishing out justice is my game," the girl replied, subconsciously arranging one of her rear braids. She gave a modest smile, turning aside a little bit.

"Happy to meet you, Hay. My name's Will."

"Taranee's my moniker… not that anyone cares…" the African girl spoke up, though the last half was just to herself. She had tried so hard to integrate, and she learned as many names as she could, but all she seemed in return was invisible and anonymous. She eventually returned her attention to the two younger girls.

 _"Yep. Forgotten again, naturally."_

"Your schedule here says you're in the same class as us! Sweet!" yapped Hay Lin, glancing at Will's open schoolbook.

A bell broke to pieces the established mood, replacing it instead with another atmosphere that some kids enjoyed whilst others not so much. Class time.

"Well, here we go," sighed Will, heaving her backpack straps onto her shoulders, "Can you show me to the right class?"

"Allow me," cut in Taranee, taking point, "Come and follow."

Will and Hay did, though they kept up their fluid discussion as they walked.

"I've got science first with you guys? Yes! Finally something good happens today!" cheered Will.

"Just stick with me for that, I'll introduce you around," chatted Hay Lin, "Besides, my aerofoil experiment is gonna ace this!"

"I'd actually prefer if you just introduced me quietly to your close friends first. You mentioned them earlier?" said Will. Hay Lin looked slightly bemused.

"Uh, sure I guess."

* * *

Irma Lair huffed agitatedly as she stomped to her locker, which was beside another one of her best friends. Cornelia Hale.

"I'll never understand the inner workings of boys," she vented her frustrations to her blond companion, "All the ones that I've ever met in my life either want to hassle me, or they don't even notice me!"

"Not true," answered Cornelia, "There's Martin Tubbs."

"Who can go and screw himself."

"Your little brother."

"Who's exactly a boyish version of your own little sister."

"…True. What about your father and cousins?"

"I'm talking about boys I can kiss, genius!"

"Jeesh, cool your jets," sighed Cornelia, rolling her eyes, "Remember. They are _boys_ , and they are _not_ to be trusted."

"Heavens, tell me I'm not the only one having a bad day," chuffed Irma, before a thought suddenly occurred to her, "Tell me you've brought our science experiment."

Cornelia unfortunately flinched, though she did well to hide it from the brunette.

"Sure I did. One little issue though…"

"Tell me about it later," Irma said, grabbing Cornelia's arm as she walked past, "This botany biology is gonna be the death of me."

* * *

"No no no! Hale! The point of our experiment was too show that too much fertilizer is detrimental to a plant's growth!" gasped Taranee when she laid her eyes upon this… disaster.

"Yours sprouted all the way up to the atmosphere, babe," chuckled Irma.

"Well, what if you're wrong and fertilizer doesn't kill plants, Brainiac?" Cornelia shot back at Taranee, ignoring Irma's jest at her for the meantime.

"Look, the Japanese don't lie, and their scientists say that the chemicals that compose up the liquid compounds of the fertilizer, whilst it temporarily helps plants to blossom, ultimately it reverses the process of osmosis, thereby–"

"Shut up!" groaned Irma and Cornelia, bracing their ears at the botanic technobabble that Cook spouted from out of nowhere.

Some movement at the classroom doors caught Irma's eyes. "We've got trouble," she whispered, gesturing at the slowly advancing principal, Miss Knickerbocker.

"Quick! Whilst Lair and I stall for time, you can smash it to pieces!" Taranee mumbled to Cornelia, who just gave a subdued "Okay, okay!" in response.

 _"Who did this brainiac think she was, ordering me and Irma about?"_

The principal didn't take much notice, apparently pleased to see that _this_ class was hard at work and (seemingly) enjoying it. And she was a bit elderly too, so her ears failed to pick up the sounds of a young girl's fist smashing a poor beanstalk to smithereens.

"Haha brilliant," remarked Irma dryly once Knickerbocker had passed, "You and your green hands are gonna cost us a ribbon. You seriously ought to work in a zoo. I've heard that–"

Taranee was sure she'd get a migraine by lunch time. Her mood was too soured by the events of this morning.

"How in the world did I end up with you two?" she asked, her annoyance starting to flare up dangerously. They didn't hear her. After some retort from Cornelia that Taranee failed to hear, Irma spat back venomously, "You're nothing but a blonde orangutan!"

"Says the pig with two tails," snarked Cornelia.

"Why am I even wasting time with you?" sighed Irma, furiously slapping a hand to her head, "There are much more boring girls out there."

"I would hope for your sake that that wasn't a potshot at me," mumbled Taranee crossly, turning away. For once, by doing so she was met with a welcome sight.

Hay Lin and Will were making their way over to them. The Chinese girl was happily chittering away.

"You've already met Taranee, as I saw this morning. The tall flower over there is Cornelia–"

"Why thank you," smiled Cornelia, before pointedly turning to Irma, "Your acquaintance here knows how to speak in an elegant tongue."

"Elegant? More like old-fashioned," Irma sputtered back, before adding, "No offense Hay Lin."

"None taken," the braided girl answered back, still smiling brightly, "The Hispanic right here is Irma Lair, a.k.a My Best Friend. Guys, this is Will Vandom."

"Hi," muttered Will shyly, taking a hesitant step forward.

"Totally jazzed to meet you, Will," said Irma energetically, cupping an arm around the younger girl's back. Will seemed so _small_. That brought Irma's usually well-hidden empathy to the surface.

"Hang with me kid, and I can tell you all about this, er… _nice_ place to be in. I know everything and everyone here like the back of my hand," smiled Irma compassionately, before adding in jest, "Except Cornelia Hale."

Said tall blonde kid was busy looking at the newcomer student appraisingly. Will felt more uncomfortable at the unexpected silence. So she made noise to someone else to get out of the trap of awkwardness.

"Hay Lin, thanks for inviting us over to your place for tea this afternoon."

"Cheers," Hay Lin grinned back in reply.

"Sweet!" chatted Irma in extreme anticipation. _This_ was good news.

"Don't say _sweet_ ," Cornelia spoke up at last. She turned to Hay Lin. "Look, it's nice of you to want to make friends with everyone Hay, but you can't just allow every newbie to jump in on us. Our group is full enough as it is."

Will, small enough as she was, shrank even more. Now, Taranee was isolated and aloof, but dormant sparks of consideration and empathy still lay buried deep inside her heart.

"That's enough out of you, Hale! Vandom can join us if she so wishes," she said, gesturing to the younger girl.

Though Taranee didn't see it, Will did look ever so thankful for her outburst.

But currently, she was busy scoping through her backpack to look for a certain bag of something. Her mother wouldn't approve of it, but the redheaded girl had seen this cliché work so many times on television.

She finally found what she was looking for. She offered it to the others, though Cornelia was reluctantly the first recipient.

"Wanna cookie?"

* * *

Before the students knew it, lunch time had arrived.

The schoolyards were flooded with ecstatic kids, and the atmosphere was swamped with happy shouts and yells. Children either grabbed sports balls out of the equipment shed, or just sat down on the offside benches and dug into their knapsacks for something delicious to eat.

The sky was shining now, and the stark blueness of it was truly something to behold. Utterly beautiful and crystallic…

"Hay Lin, aren't you gonna eat with us?"

Will's voice snapped the Chinese girl out of her preoccupied thoughts.

"Um, yeah! Just got a little errand to run! I'll meet you at the picnic tables in 10 minutes!" she replied before turning and jogging lightly away. Once she was sure she was out of sight from anyone nearby, she started to sprint. This could wait no longer.

Once she reached the back of the school, she vaulted up onto a tree branch. Then, once she quickly repositioned herself, she launched herself at the rooftop of the school's right wing. She made the jump. Easily!

Making sure there were no cleaners or janitors around on roof maintenance duty, Hay Lin dumped her backpack by one of the spires that formed the top of the school's many structural pillars. Then, backflipping and settling herself down cross-legged on the rooftop, Hay Lin began to meditate.

Her grandmother taught her this practice, as it could be used as a method to connect with other living beings on the spiritual plane. Right now, she needed to confirm that the time was truly right for _everything_ to transpire now.

 _"Grandmother… can you hear me?"_

Across the city, a voice answered in celestial reply.

 _"Yes, my dear… your training has paid off."_

 _"Thank you… I think I've found all of whom we are searching for."_

Her grandmother's metaphysical voice strengthened in joyful anticipation.

 _"You have done so well. All that is left for you to do today is to bring them before me this afternoon."_

 _"Of course, Grandmother. But are you sure that now is the time?"_

A heavy, tangible silence followed. Finally Yan Lin broke through the ice.

 _"Yes… I am more certain than ever that now is the time for the Forces of Good to finally act."_

 _"Consider it done, then. See you this afternoon, Grandma."_

The elderly woman's voice was heard chuckling.

 _"Same here, Hay Lin. Same here."_

* * *

 **Feel free to throw any objects in your nearby vicinity at me.**

 **I… kinda deserve it.**

 **Seriously though, sorry for not updating since bloody April!**

 **Everything just got in the way… had to get myself back into the groove again… I'm truly sorry, guys.**

 **But I hope this long chapter was worth it!**

 **Transformers 0 over the moon and out!**


	5. Child Soldiers

**I put my own spin on some of the origin stories, rather than just copying from canon.**

 **Hopefully that's OK with you guys. And sorry for the wait.**

 **Also, some of my new backstory will be used to give extra depth to Phobos.**

* * *

 **Child Soldiers**

 _"There are times in your life when you draw upon everything you have. Times when you reach down into the deepest parts of your soul._

 _When you know you've gotta give it your all._

 _Because anything less won't get the job done. It's at times like these that you can find out who you truly are. What you can truly be._

 _That is, if you live long enough."_

* * *

"Commander Raythor, your presence is requested."

Raythor grunted as he exited his tent. "What is it, lieutenant?"

"Our scouts have made a significant find, sir."

Raythor slowly stroked his beard. "Significant?" he queried.

"Rebel leader significant."

"And what of the little boy?"

"He has been spotted in the South-Eastern mountain range."

"Well," Raythor grinned, "You know the drill. I want the horsemen in pursuit, followed by the foot soldiers. I will alert Commander Cedric of our progress."

Raythor's lieutenant saluted, and walked off to start issuing orders.

* * *

The Silver Dragon was, to put it bluntly, a second-class restaurant. Chen Lin and his wife could only afford to invest in business assets up to a certain extent. They did have to provide for Chen's mother and their own daughter. Hay Lin did her best to help out in her spare time, cooking and cleaning around the property, but as dutiful a daughter as she was, education and extracurricular activities got in the way.

School was understandable, but the parents were a bit bemused when grandmother insisted that Hay Lin learned Kung Fu from a young age. Yan had never been insistent on Chen doing any rigorous physical activity in his youth, so it seemed slightly unorthodox that Hay Lin would travel that path.

But Chen, honouring his mother's wishes, used available funds to send his daughter to a martial arts dojo after school. Joan also concurred, saying that with their daughter knowing self-defense, he could stop worrying so much when they left Hay Lin alone.

Anyhow, second class restaurant. The girls were all bunched up in a corner table near the back of the dining area, near the door to the downstairs basement. Yan Lin, despite her aging demeanour, poured iced tea into the girls' cups with never-before-seen dexterity and swiftness.

"I will waste no time on formalities or greetings. I have been awaiting this moment for years," the elderly lady said, looking at the assembled younglings in front of her. Her granddaughter simply nodded, the redhead next to her widened her eyes a bit, the African girl swallowed, the Mexican shrugged and look at the blonde British next to her, who merely returned the response.

"Long ago, the universe was created, with many galaxies, and many worlds. 5 angels were chosen by God from Heaven to preside over his creations and ensure justice and peace for all sentient beings," Yan Lin paused there to gauge her audience's reactions. The young girls were all familiar with the Creation Story, but the sending out of 5 angels was a part they had never heard before.

Only Hay Lin, under her grandmother's tutelage had had this song and dance before, but the only reason she never spoke up was that she knew her grandmother could break the news to her friends with much more delicacy than she could.

"Those 5 angels were each given powers of the natural universe to aid them in their tasks. The first angel got the power of air – she was able to control the currents of the wind and could summon gales with a flick of her wrist. The second angel got the power of water – the power to cleanse, purge and purify. The third angel got the power of fire – the power to illuminate the darkest days of the universe with hope. The fourth angel was granted power over earth – she was able to control the very substance of a planet itself, and could do incredible deeds with her mastery of nature. The fifth and final angel, was the leader that rallied and united them all, the chosen one who'd lead her sisters through thick and thin, through joys and sorrows, through happiness and hardships."

Another pause, another assessment. Yan saw that she still had the girls' attention.

"Together, these angels became the 5 Guardians of the Veil. But as the years passed, they needed mortals to carry on their work – young girls who would be chosen to do extraordinary good for all beings until they reached a ripe old age, then the calling, the adventure, the responsibility, would be passed down from generation to generation."

"And what you're telling us is…?" Cornelia inquired, but received a swift and harsh reply from Irma.

"Shh! This is the first time in ages someone has been interesting enough to hold my attention!"

Yan Lin ignored the squabble of the two eldest kids. She had enough experience in her youth to know that the first and second in age would always come to blows over their certain perceived dichotomy.

"When I was your age, I was the leader of the Guardians, and we fought many a legendary battle. But our most greatest challenge – and failure – was that of our defeat at the hands of Prince Phobos, ruler of Metamoor."

"Metamoor?" Taranee asked.

"Long ago, in the world of Metamoor, a royal family was established. Metamoor was like a mirror world of our own. Earth's history has shown a predominance of the male gender over that of our own, often to great detriment and strife."

"Indeed!" snorted Irma, "The nerve of some boys!"

Cornelia sighed, "Don't let your disgust of the creature known as Martin Tubbs get in the way, luv."

The elder Lin continued, "In Metamoor, the roles are reversed. Females hold power over the males, and eventually eons spent living under that system corrupted the capital city of the planet, Meridian. The royal family who lived there, Queen Weira and King Zanden, and their young son Phobos. They were the generation that cracked and paid the price. Phobos studied hard and long during his childhood to become a great leader for his people, but as he was not a female, they'd never accept him as their monarch – only if his mother failed to birth a daughter."

"Lemme guess," queried Will, though Yan Lin answered her question for her.

"Indeed, the universe unfortunately was unfavourable to the young prince. Queen Weira eventually conceived a daughter, and Phobos, now nearing the cusp of adulthood, had grown strong in his magic – as well as his hatred and jealousy. He murdered his parents, and gathered the men of the populace loyal only to him, and started a campaign to enslave all females, and destroy all those who opposed him."

"That's… unfortunate," Taranee spoke up, "But what does that have to do with us kids?"

"Do you not see your destiny unfolding before you now?" Yan Lin sighed as she walked to a nearby cupboard and took out a small handheld box. The elderly lady opened it, and pulled out a shimmering pink crystal attached to a loop of string, like a precious necklace, a cherished heirloom. And it was.

"This is the Heart of Kandrakar, the matrix jewel held under the leader's care, the magical stone that channels the power of the Guardians and allows them all to transform into their full angelic forms. And now, Will," Yan Lin said, turning her head to look the young girl straight in the eye, "The time has come for you to take up the mantle of leadership amongst your friends. And finish the work that my own generation started."

"What?! No!" Will stammered, "I can't! I barely know these guys, I've just moved in – and, and… I just can't! Okay?"

"But Will, this has been foretold to be your destiny," Hay Lin intervened, eyes as serious as her grandmother's. And for several moments, the others around her forgot the fact that she was the youngest person present in the room.

"Well!" Cornelia stood up, closing her eyes and snapping up her chin, "It's a good thing me and the new girl don't believe in hocus pocus prophecies!"

"One, you don't even know her name very well – it's Will," Irma retorted, "And two, I thought you said earlier today that you wanted nothing to do with her."

"Well she seems to have gained some common sense, something which you other girls seem to lack – in spades," Cornelia fired back.

"Please don't argue. Please don't argue. Please don't argue. Please don't argue," Taranee pleaded quietly to herself.

Hay Lin snuck over to her grandmother. "I think we need to give them more time," she whispered.

"I concur," Yan Lin replied, "A little more time acclimating to change couldn't hurt."

"Will," Hay Lin beseeched, "Please at least think about it."

Will sighed and looked at her first friend in this strange new town. "I think I need to go out for some air," the redhead replied in a shuddery voice. She got up, wiggled out of the corner seat, and raced outside to the streets of the city.

 _"This can't be happening. This_ cannot _be happening. This can't be happening."_

She felt a hand on her shoulder and rotated around to find Cornelia beside her.

"Relax," the blonde head confided to her, "I'm on your side now. If they think we're crazy or stupid enough to fall for that crap…"

"Hey!" a shrill and sharp retort came from behind them. It was Hay Lin striding to catch up with them. "If you think me and my grandmother are lying about this, then at least let me show you the _truth_."

"Whatever you say, airhead," Cornelia huffed, rolling her blue eyes.

"What a fitting name," Hay Lin laughed ruefully. Then, closing her eyes, she took up a tiger style stance, and let her ensuing kata do the work. Nearby newspapers strewn across the sidewalks, and leaves from plants stationed outside the windows of the restaurant blew in a tight circle formed by Hay Lin's summoned gale. The newspapers danced in the air to an open recycling bin, whilst the leaves piled themselves alongside Cornelia's feet.

"And just what do you expect my reaction to be? Play your little game?" the tall girl huffed, "That was just invisible string wrapped around your hands, and the leaves? No way I've got any magic in me. Not one bit. I'm not involving myself in this. No way."

"Then how do you explain _this_?!" a voice shrieked. It was Taranee's. A stray cardboard box had been blown abruptly into her path and she had stepped in it unintentionally. Something inside was sticky, and the African had trouble pulling her foot out. As her frustration had built up, her hands had grown unusually warm, and before she could even blink, the box had caught fire.

"Put it out! Put it out! PUT IT OUT!"

"Relax babe, I think I've got this," Irma smirked, sidling up alongside.

"Humph, speculation," snarked Cornelia.

"If Will is the leader, and Hay Lin has air, and Cornelia the power of earth, and Tee here the power to set things on fire, then that means…"

"Your procrastination is not appreciated!" Taranee squealed, hopping about frantically.

A small, focused torrent of water washed out the fire and unstuck the box. Taranee sighed and pulled her soaked leg out.

"Just what I figured," Irma quipped.

"Thanks…"

"Look, I don't know about you girls, but this has all been a waste of a good afternoon. Thanks a bunch, kung fu girl," Cornelia muttered aloud.

"Well, I must say, you should look behind you right this instant," Hay Lin huffed.

"What's next? A chainsaw and a box – WAAAH!"

Cornelia squealed as she found her ankles hoisted up by the plants behind her. She did that.

Oh wait… she did that!

"Hmm, so it looks like what the Jedi say about emotions controlling your powers is true," Irma remarked from the sidewalk below.

"GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!"

* * *

Cedric slithered over the coarse grass of the Meridian Plains. He had gotten Raythor's message an hour ago, and had selected several of Phobos' High Honour Guard to form a pursuit strike team.

They were heavily armed and armoured Metamoorians, with cold iron plating and racks of arrows and blades attached to their backs. They only needed small bags of rations and a medium-sized flask of water for sustenance. Their mission took priority over everything else. Their allies, their subordinates, their morality, and yes, even their own lives.

"When you find the boy, only two of you shall engage. The rest of you, merely observe the battle and the surroundings. To defeat an enemy, you must know them to their core."

With silent salutes, the strike team of six elite soldiers went on their way.

* * *

The pounding of the horses' hooves was thunder against the ground.

As Caleb had reached the Marble Canyons, the clacking of his pursuers screamed in his ears, even though he had miles of ground separating himself from his doom.

Caleb thought back to his first experience with a storm as a very young child. His clothes had been soaked entirely, and his rattling teeth were nothing against the battering rainfall. It took all his courage not to whimper and beg his father to carry him when lightning scorched his vision, and thunder shook his world.

Being tailed by the Imperialist Army was a different kind of storm. One that he'd have to pass through the eye to survive. One error, and he world forfeit his life as a consequence.

What's more, he'd have to face down this kind of storm _alone_.

His terrified heart leaping into his mouth, Caleb forced his tiring body to transform his slow jog into a sprint once more.

Glancing one more time behind him, his dread spiked at the sight of the dark horses of the imperials just coming into view over the horizon. They'd have his skin in a few hours.

Rational thinking ingrained into his psyche over the years suddenly forced his brain to bring his vision back to where he was running to, and he stopped abruptly just before coming to the edge of a marble cliff. There were rock spires jutting out in front of him, paving an opportunity to hide in the chasms below. Before he had finished formulating that plan, Caleb heard an obnoxious, but recognizable honking sound. It was screechy and grating, but to his ears it couldn't have sounded any more harmonious.

Hugongs. Flightless big birds capable of running up to high speeds over long distances.

Forget stealth and hiding. Why conceal yourself when you can race away on the wind?

Now to make his way downwards… Concentration was key, especially if he didn't want to lose his footing on those narrow spires…

* * *

The girls came back into the empty restaurant. Yan Lin was spotted reading a newspaper with a cup of hot jasmine tea beside her.

"So…" the elder began.

"I guess," Will spoke up, sensing no one else would, "It wouldn't hurt trialling it out."

The redheaded girl slowly scooped up the pink jewelled necklace in her hands, and slowly but firmly placed it around her neck.

"I hear the riverside underneath the bridge doesn't get much tourist traffic this time of the year," Yan Lin gently advised, having observed the cold and breezy autumn weather as of late.

"Thank you, Mrs Lin, we'll head over there now," Will replied respectfully.

"And then I'll give you a progress report!" Hay Lin cheerfully added, pleased that the show was finally heading onto the road.

"Excellent," Yan Lin smiled.


	6. Flight and Fight

**Flight and Fight**

"WHOA!"

Caleb yelled as the distance from the height of the last spire and the ground quickly vanished away. His only hope on survival came to sticking that landing on a nearby hugong's back.

Fate allowed him to manage it.

"Let's go boy… er girl… eh, sorry… hiyah!"

The hugong was fortunately in a willing and docile mood, and promptly followed her newfound friend's command.

"Through there!" Caleb ordered as he spotted a cavernous shortcut.

The hugong squawked in obedient agreement and swerved right to veer through the cave.

* * *

"Not good, still a waste of time," Cornelia mumbled out aloud for the umpteenth time.

"Stow it," came the collective reply from her friends.

"Now," Irma said animatedly, bumping up next to Will. They had all arrived underneath the river bridge and the brunette could wait no longer for the enchantment. "How does that thing work?"

Will clutched the heart, "Stand back and allow me to follow Mrs Lin's instructions on how to work this thing. Then we'll see."

Closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath, Will spoke the rallying command.

"Guardians unite!"

Will let out a little scream as the magic elevated her several metres off the ground. Her body started to illuminate in the dusky sky with pink light and energy. Her fear of the unknown had a frightening grip on her soul, but she forced her resolve to be stronger, and bolder.

She opened her eyes to find Taranee letting out her own screams as a tornado of fire enveloped her. Irma's eyes and jawbone widened with delight as a sphere of water encapsulated her. Cornelia just grumpily resigned herself to letting the grass around her conceal her body from the world. Hay Lin just beamed as misty air swirled swiftly around her, lifting her up off the ground.

Then collectively, their hearts grew and felt emboldened. Their bodies grew strong, and as they spun around endlessly in the vortex of time and space, they felt wings erupt from their back – but no pain was felt.

Their clothes dissipated away, but they felt unusually calm in their aural plain of existence despite the sudden nudity. Then new clothes worked their way around their bodies. Comfortable tops, warm leggings, durable boots… it was all fitted onto them as a standard team uniform, and despite some reservations, they felt a strange but overwhelming sense of pride. In themselves, and in each other.

The transformation sequence ended at last.

Their booted feet alighted softly on the grassy ground.

"Breathtaking," whispered Taranee in awe.

"Well, we don't look like the standard angel, but then again we are battle maids," Cornelia remarked.

"Look what we've got behind us!" Hay Lin chirped excitedly, flitting her newly earned wings. Something she had always dreamed of having ever since her grandmother made the revelation to her several years ago (which she had sworn to keep secret from her parents – obviously).

"And look what we've got in front of us!" Irma said, ogling her bust. "Boys, watch out! Lair on the Air is in town!"

"Are those _wings_?" Taranee asked as she made her way over to Will and Hay Lin, who were busy admiring each other's angelic forms.

Will was still quite beside herself. "They can't be wings. If they were wings, we'd – AAAH!" she shrieked, feeling herself taking off again all of a sudden.

"Yeah baby!" Hay Lin cheered, immediately taking to the air like a seagull on the ocean wind.

"We have to _fly_?" Taranee moaned in disbelief, "That's _so_ NOT natural… not at all…"

"Ah come on, lighten up!" Irma cheekily grinned, popping up beside the African girl and slinging an arm around her shoulder.

"Nice pun," Taranee deadpanned.

* * *

Caleb and his hugong reached the end of the tunnel soon enough. Ahead, with a shining ray reaching to the night sky like a beacon, was one of the veil's portals. The veil that the previous Guardians had set up to isolate Metamoor from the rest of the universe had grown weak as the previous generation aged.

Now Phobos and his army could get out and back in again. They were now able to conquer other worlds once they were finished dominating their own.

The thing is though, portals in a weakening magical veil are a double-edged blade. The Rebellion itself could exit and re-enter their world as they pleased, able to summon outside allies for help. And that is what Caleb planned to do.

Leaping off his hugong, he stroked her beak thankfully. "I know you may not understand me, but you have my eternal gratitude. Go back to your clan now, for it is no longer safe for you from this point outwards."

The hugong squawked lovingly, and nuzzled the boy in a compassionately nurturing way.

The way a mother would.

His mother had died in childbirth. Caleb was the only remnant that his father had had of her, before he joined her too.

With one final amicable squawk, the hugong turned on her heels and started her journey back through the caves.

And Caleb returned his attention to his quest. The shortcut had worked. He was almost there…

His own legs looked and felt like a blur to him as he sprinted towards hope. Towards freedom and liberation for his dying, oppressed world.

"You're not going anywhere, son," a sinister baritone spoke up from behind a boulder in his way. The quest for the portal had now turned uphill, with the window of salvation at the top of a steep, grassy mountain.

But it seemed that Phobos and his henchmen had outdone Caleb this time.

The young commander drew his sword as two High Honour Guards emerged from the back of the boulders, nestled in one of the mountain's many crevices.

"It is time to stop this madness, laddie. Refrain from your foolishness and drop your weapon," the second guard ordered.

"Never," Caleb simply said. Then he charged up the slope.

The portal seemed to crackle brighter with the release of energy in this current clash between good and evil.

Three shouts merged into one, and two heavyset flashes of silver collided with a thin but strong steel blade.

The guards had the higher ground, and Caleb knew that if he couldn't turn the tables around, that would be his downfall.

He cautiously sidestepped the next few swipes from the guards, the mountain ground beneath him trembling slightly. Spearing jabs were exchanged and swatted aside.

Both sides cleanly deflected each other's attempts, but the guards had the edge.

A stray kick sent Caleb on a terrifying roll downwards, only being stopped by his shoulder crashing against a rock.

Ignoring the pain with clenched teeth, the young commander forced himself back to his feet. Nothing was broken. His resolve was just slightly shattered.

Looking around, he saw more rocks and stones set out in a mini boulder field on the left side of the mountain. With the two guards descending upon him, he swiftly started making his way over to those natural landmarks, a plan forming inside his brain…

* * *

"Go plant! Grow!" Cornelia stamped her foot in frustration at the sudden lack of progress. When it's unintentional, she grows plants like there's no tomorrow. And when it's intentional, the little green photosynthetic bastards disobey her orders outright.

"Up, up and away plants! Shazam! Go! Grow! Go plant go!"

A huge daisy suddenly sprouted, sending Taranee, Irma and Cornelia sprawling to the ground. Hay Lin, who was busy flying circles around the top pillars of the bridge called out warnings to a much more unlucky Will, who was just barely flying and fighting to get complete control over her wings. Will reacted a second too late and was met with a face full of green stem.

The redhead was sent screaming into a dogpile on top of Cornelia.

"Can… not… breathe… get off my… face!" the blonde gasped from beneath her. Eventually, a shortening oxygen supply forced the blonde to shove off the smaller girl in an unladylike fashion.

"Sorry… I'm a bit dazed," gurgled Will, her brown eyes rolling in different directions.

"Yeah we can see that," stated Irma as she walked up.

"Okay! Trial's over!" Taranee spoke up hurriedly, "Can we transform back and return now?"

"Why not?" Will replied, holding up the heart. This time she didn't need to speak out. The mental command that she willed made the heart glow bright and strong, and with a flash, Will, Irma, Taranee and Cornelia morphed back into their normal schoolgirl forms.

"Say, where did Hay Lin go?" asked Irma all of a sudden.

A scream and a crash. They turned to find Hay Lin in a pile of rubble aside the bridge's shore-stationed pillar.

"Oh there she is."

* * *

Caleb hopscotched from rock to rock. He had outwitted the guards, who had now grown careless in their pursuit of him due to their frustration.

The boy had the high ground now.

The first strike of the renewed sword fight came from the blade in Caleb's hand. It earned him a successful nick in the first guard's right arm. The opponents hissed angrily and swung in tandem. Using both hands, Caleb blocked and parried the jabs successfully.

He let the momentum spin him around with graceful and honed precision on the rock he was currently balanced on, and landed a successful counter-strike on the first guard's chin. His opponent made the mistake of flinching back – a mistake that Caleb exploited by running him through with his sword. Withdrawing his blade from his opponent's abdomen quickly, Caleb watched the guard's body begin a long roll down the mountainside, the eyes of his enemy frozen wide open in mortem shock.

The second guard snarled upon seeing this unfold, and withdrawing a knife from his belt's side holster, used both blades, long and short, in a vicious revenge attempt. Caleb's own blade flurried in diagonal and horizontal directions, blocking all attacks with precise physical calculation.

His focus on the silver flashes of the guard's frenzied assaults, Caleb was a second too slow to see that it had been a cover up for a left-going backhand. The boy was hit square in the cheek, and falling off his rocky perch, he started sliding down the mountain. Quick instincts overwhelmed him, and he placed a leg out to slow his tilted fall. His outstretched limb caught on a smaller rock, and with a pained cry the commander brought his sword down to bring his upper body half to a halt.

It was a battle in itself to bring his body back to standing position. His leg was definitely injured this time.

And by the time his vision cleared and he looked up, the remaining guard was upon him. Both blades of his enemy swung straight at his right flank. Caleb prayed and sprawled – throwing his body into a sideways fall to his left.

Flashes of silver just skimmed above the edges of his vision, and without even thinking, Caleb swung in blind retaliation.

A gasp.

Not the boy's, but the guard's.

Caleb breathed a sigh as his opponent sank to his knees, and the upper body half that had been bisected fell away in its own roll down the steep mountain.

Now to get to the top. Despite the chaos of the battle, the summit was still just thankfully a few hundred meters away.

* * *

It took him a few pained minutes, but he finally reached the peak. The portal to another world stood several strides away.

Slowly rising from all fours back onto a human's normal position of bipedal standing, Caleb slowly started to limp towards his salvation. It was a slim chance, a needle in a haystack, but he felt that the universe was leading him the right way. That this portal would welcome him to the world that had raised the next generation of the Guardians of the Veil.

A painfully audible, venomous hiss broke his dreamy reverie.

Cedric.

"You may have defeated my tag team of High Honour Guards, but now it is I that stands between you, and your _sole hope_ for victory in this war."

The snake slid up from the opposite side of the mountain, and made his way in front of the portal.

Caleb didn't even bother drawing his sword. Instead, he brought both fists up in a boxer's opening stance.

"Bring it," the boy simply replied.

The snake _roared_ and charged. Caleb silently did the same.

Cedric brought his head low for a chance to snap at the enemy's legs with his fangs. Caleb had predicted this move and leapt high in response to somersault.

Rugged boots met coarse leather skin and the portal shrieked with ultraviolet energy and light.

Yet another fateful battle on the tipping scales between good and evil had begun.

* * *

By the time the girls had gotten Hay Lin out of the rubble, the sun had set. The dark blue sky of twilight was upon Heatherfield.

The children had just started to trek back to the Silver Dragon, when flashes of light caught their attention further up the shore.

Sprinting, they saw the source of the aural disturbance.

"A portal to Metamoor," Hay Lin mused whilst her friends stood by in shock, "Will, you can seal this off with the heart."

"Seal it? I thought we had to fight this war," Will remarked in confusion.

"There are 11 other portals scattered across the city," Hay Lin explained, pulling out a special magic map. Red X's glowed on the parchment.

Leaning closer, the other girls saw that the worn paper was a map of the city.

"The X's are other portal sites. We only have to leave one open to enter and exit Metamoor. The rest of the portals are danger zones where creatures from our world can get trapped with Phobos. Or otherwise, dangerous wildlife from Metamoor can traverse across the universe through these dimensional windows and wreak havoc amongst us," Hay Lin continued, her blue eyes icy with seriousness, "Ka-peesh?"

She looked to each of her friends' faces, making sure that they each understood the task that Yan Lin had given them. They all nodded.

"Good. Will, the honours are yours."

Will stepped forward and pulled out the heart.

But before she could progress any further, the portal shrieked and sparked.

The sudden spike in noise was matched with the girls' own frightened screams.

* * *

Caleb saw his chance the moment he landed on the beck of Cedric's neck.

He slid down surfer style on the rest of Cedric's body, then used the momentum gained to propel himself into a sprint the moment he was launched off the viprotis' tail and onto the ground.

Cedric snarled in outright fury when he turned just as the boy escaped through the portal.

This chase wasn't over yet.

* * *

Caleb smashed through the other side of the dimensional gate.

Wet soil and damp grass met his face, and when he turned his gaze up a few moments later he was met with 5 stares from 5 very young girls, none of whom looked near his age.

Then again, wars did have a specialty for making a person look haggardly and older beyond their actual years.

"Uh, hi," the young commander began, his cheeks growing hot as he laid eyes upon the tallest of the girls, the one with beautiful, golden blonde hair…

 _"Ugh, Caleb focus!"_

The redheaded girl was the first to step forward.

"Um…" she started, but whatever she was about to say turned into a scream as Cedric plunged through.

* * *

"What the hell is that?!" Cornelia sputtered.

Beside her, Irma commented, "Do not like the looks of this!"

Will was floored on her back, frozen with terror. Taranee dragged her to her feet.

"Will! Change us back!"

Cedric lashed out violently with his tail towards Hay Lin, Irma and Cornelia. It was a much more brutal version of dodging a skipping rope on the playground.

"Change us back! Change us back!" Taranee screamed to the still-stricken Will.

Hay Lin backflipped away from Cedric's frenzied assault. Cornelia followed suit, albeit with a lack of acrobatic flair. Irma wasn't so lucky and was floored by Cedric's next tail sweep.

"Taranee! Will!" Cornelia bellowed over to them, "This is not the time to spaz out! Get it together!"

"R-right, sorry!" Will groaned as her limbs finally felt like unlocking. She instantly grabbed the Heart of Kandrakar. And this time she didn't even need to yell out the transformation command. Within a second, the girls found themselves back in guardian angel form.

"Fire!" Will called to Taranee.

Taranee cast aside her own fears and launched a fireball from her fist.

It barely put a scratch on Cedric.

From the side, Irma blinked disbelievingly.

"Well that's just–"

"Buddy, move!" Hay Lin screeched. Irma didn't need to be told twice. She did her best not to look back, plus the Chinese girl was the only friend she would obey without questioning.

The air seemed to crack at Lair's heels as Cedric just missed clamping his jaws down upon her. Irma whooped in exhilaration and tried to follow up from her leap by flapping her wings – but she had even less luck at her first flight than Will did and only managed a tumbling crash to the shore below.

"OW!"

"Screw these powers," Cornelia grunted as she did the unthinkable and ran straight into the fray.

The boy that they had just met had been tackled by the man-snake during the tomfoolery of her companions. Now he was being dragged back by his captor to where they had just emerged from.

Now, Cornelia wasn't a fan of boys, but when she first laid eyes upon the male newcomer she had been drawn to his world-weary, yet innocent face. He seemed so wise, and at the same time, so childishly cute. His eyes spoke of a rugged existence, but they also carried within themselves a handsome charm that had pulled at her heartstrings.

He was _the one_.

He was _her_ one.

And she wasn't going to let him be captured without a fight.

So she grabbed onto his flailing arms and dug her feet into the ground.

It was all she could do.

"Come on you lot! Help me pull!"

Hay Lin looped in the air and joined her. Will followed too. And after Taranee helped Irma up from the sand, the African and the Mexican joined in too.

But even their combined strength just wasn't enough to compete with that of the man-snake's.

With a final tug, Cedric broke free from the pesty young guardians, his prize still successfully seized in his hands.

The tall blonde and the ass-kicking little runt were the first to recover and attempt pursuit.

A final snap and hiss of his jaws deterred them and the rest of their comrades from trying.

Now all he had to do was slither back through the portal.

* * *

"NO!" Caleb screamed out as Cedric dragged him back to Metamoor – a bleak world of despair and death.

Failure was the result of his life, and now doom was his imminent end.

Soon the Rebellion would be no more, and Phobos would be free to plunder and ruin his world.

Despairing and grey and bleak…

That's what Caleb's homeworld looked like. He felt much, _much_ worse on the inside.

* * *

"We… failed," Taranee muttered as the sparkling portal finally died down and dissipated into nothingness.

"Can't you re-open that?!" Cornelia shrieked to Will, "Tell me you can re-open that!"

Will fumbled, fiddled and shook the Heart, to zero avail.

"I can't…" she replied weakly.

"Don't YOU give me THAT!"

"Hey! Back off!" Irma intervened, stepping in between the seething blonde and the shrinking redhead.

" _She_ is _our_ leader?!" Cornelia sputtered, glowering heavily at Will, "Well she sure as heck didn't act like it during that fight! I'm not gonna take orders from her. And I'm definitely NOT taking orders from _you_ , Lair. You still have much to learn, Mrs I-can't-fly."

"ME?! _I_ am the one with much to–?!"

"We ALL still have much to learn," Hay Lin cut in, sighing, "And we just have to report the results of our first fight to grandma as it is."

"Fine!" Cornelia and Irma said, both of them then turning away from each other, folding their arms and pouting, their chins pointing upwards.

Those two could be so much like each other without even knowing it.

* * *

"So your attacker was a man-snake," Yan Lin mused, "Was his main body green with a yellow crest for his head?"

"Yes, grandmother," Hay Lin replied, then slowly, she inquired, "Was that Commander Cedric?"

"Phobos' dangerously lethal second-in-command," Yan Lin replied simply, telling the young girls all that they needed to know.

"Okay, so we are 5 children, _barely_ into our adolescence – with some of us just barely avoiding being dropouts from school – and you and the higher powers expect us to be Guardians of the Galaxy!" Cornelia huffed.

"Isn't it the entire universe?" Taranee queried, but was silenced by a death glare from the blonde.

"And Ms Leader over here," Cornelia continued, snarling and fuming at a very timid Will, "Utterly failed at her one job tonight. One job! Couldn't lead. Couldn't fly. Couldn't attack. Couldn't even open a bloody portal!"

"Now wait one mud-splattering minute!" Irma began to yell.

"Patience, all of you!" Yan Lin sternly consoled the unruly lot, "If the Heart of Kandrakar doesn't obey the leader's commands, then it is offering a different but necessary route towards your destiny. Practicality and easy efficiency is valuable in life, but hardships are the times where your inner character is truly tested. For now, you children bide your time, wait for another portal to open soon. Then, if the leader feels that everything fits, you make your move. But for now, you all must wait."

"Excuse me?!" Cornelia spluttered, "Have you forgotten that a boy, barely older than we are, is stuck at the hands of that reptilian nightmare?!"

"Gee, if you think he's a nightmare, oh wise and mighty Corny, then what chance do the rest of us have over in that Meta-world?" grumbled Irma.

Cornelia instantly spun. "Would you kindly be _serious_ for once in your life?!"

"Uh-uh! Girls!" Yan Lin barked, coming over to stand next to the quarrelling blonde and brunette, "Whether you like it or not, the higher powers that be have deemed you lot the best out of all the girls on Earth for the job. It will not be an easy task, defeating a genocidal, misogynistic war lord…"

 _"That makes me feel better,"_ Taranee sighed mentally.

"But as someone who has been from point A to B and back again, I can absolutely guarantee the truth of this advice: as a team, you all are unstoppable. As battle angels, and sisters for life, that truth will always be."

"Yes, grandma," Hay Lin replied dutifully with a bow of her head.

"Now, what you girls should be doing is heading home now to get ready for school tomorrow. The week has only just begun."

"Eh, Mrs Lin, don't remind us," Irma groaned as she got up out of her chair, yawning as she did so.

"Thank you for the afternoon tea, Mrs Lin," Will finally spoke up as she got out of her chair and pushed it underneath the table.

"It was my pleasure to have you and the rest of Hay Lin's friends here tonight, Will," Yan Lin smiled.

"Hay Lin, what are you doing with that longtail bike?" Taranee asked the airheaded girl as she brought out her bike from one of the restaurant's garages.

"Evening deliveries," came the simple reply.

"Now Hay Lin," Yan Lin called to her grandchild as she carried over tonight's orders packed in takeaway boxes, "These go to addresses 12 Vicky, 24 Xylon, 48 Kadabra and 96 Carlson."

"Got it," Hay Lin smiled to her grandmother as she loaded the food into the bicycle's rear compartment. Then she looked to her friends.

"Good night guys," she called to them as she set off, pedalling down the lit city street in the night.

The others waved until she was out of sight, rounding one of the corners.

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow," Will said, sauntering off with her pink backpack on.

"I'll help you home," Taranee offered, "My apartment is just a few blocks away from yours."

"Thanks," Will smiled shyly.

Cornelia and Irma watched the pair head off.

Then it was their turn. To Yan Lin's silent relief, they just looked each other in the eyes, a soundless challenge, before spinning 180 and heading off in opposite directions. They knew their city well.

 _"But if only they all knew each other well enough,"_ Yan Lin mused heavily, _"Because the trials up ahead will only worsen their lives if they don't learn to commit themselves."_


End file.
